Courting The Storm
by jessara40k
Summary: In a world where people are all too often owned Hojo sends his prize castrato to make contact with the one band who have always owned their manager, rather than being owned by him. uke and virgin Sephiroth


Sephiroth ran through the last of his vocalise, and wondered what to do next. Hojo-kyou had been scheduling a lot less into his days than he was used to recently, he'd already done his guitar work and ran through half a dozen songs, and he didn't feel up to working with his nodachi today. For lack of anything better to do he turned on the television and sat down on the sofa - he was tempted to lounge, but Hojo-kyou had trained him too well to give in to that temptation.

"No, no...we don't fight anything like Sephiroth. I mean yeah, we use swords, but we'd been learning how to use them even _before_ he burst onto the scene, and we use entirely different styles to him, don't we Cloud?" An interview with The Storm? Now _this_ was worth watching and Sephiroth's attention was riveted.

"Yes, just about everyone learned capoeira where we came from, but we each ended up specialising a bit differently. I mean Tifa doesn't really like any weapons at all, so she added teachings from other hard martial arts styles, and Aeris added staff techniques. Zack and I ended up with the most traditional capoeira styles, and mine's purer than his, because he likes big swords, and I like the smaller blades, but even Zack's not got the muscle to use a sword like Sephiroth's." Cloud leaned back into Tifa's embrace, petting her arm with an absent smile as he got a distant look in his eyes. "I can't quite work out how he can move that thing so fast and keep his kata up for so long."

"We could spar for you, if you wanted us to? I usually work out against Aeris and Cloud tends to spar with Zack, but it would be good for us to mix it up a bit. Zangan-sensei always says it's a bad idea to just train against one opponent, but when it's just the four of us training we tend to fall into patterns."

"Ah, no, thank you that won't be necessary, we've got-" Sephiroth used the mute button when he heard someone entering, and with a quick glance to the side he confirmed that it was Hojo-kyou before kneeling to greet him.

"Hojo-kyou."

"Stand Sephiroth-kun." Hojo-kyou helped him to his feet, and Sephiroth kept his eyes appropriately downcast as he was guided to sit back on the sofa beside his manager. "Learning about The Storm, hmm? Good, even if they aren't your direct rivals they kept your last single from the number one spot for almost a month."

"Ah...yes Hojo-kyou. " He glanced up at the screen to see that the program, whatever it was, had shifted to showing Cloud sparring against Zack, the blond showing an impressive level of agility for a naturally born man. "Should I turn the sound back on then?"

"No, not yet. I'll have some discs prepared for you to watch later. I have some new songs for you now, and a plan to explain to you."

"As you wish Hojo-kyou." Sephiroth was almost never allowed to write his own songs, and rarely the music, but he was an expert at improvising and most of his songs had at least one part where he could display this. Still, it was rare for Hojo-kyou to bother to inform him of his plans ahead of time, and Sephiroth intended to pay his full attention, as that probably meant he would have to do something other than perform. "Might I turn the television off then, so as to avoid distraction?"

"Well thought Sephiroth-kun, Go ahead." Hojo-kyou stroked his hair briefly before letting Sephiroth rise to turn the television off, and as he returned he saw that Hojo-kyou had put a folder of papers and a disc on the floor at his feet. He'd look at them later, and listen to the recording of the new songs, but for now he needed to listen to what Hojo-kyou intended. He'd find it easier to concentrate if he was allowed to kneel, but Hojo-kyou patted the sofa beside him, and rested a hand lightly on the nape of his neck when he obeyed the implied command. It _wasn't_ a threat, and he would _not_ allow himself to react as if it was, no matter how rare it was for Hojo-kyou to touch him so casually.

"Hojo-kyou?" It was enough to make him move his hand and start talking, to Sephiroth's relief.

"The Storm's manager has been hinting that they're interested in having a castrato feature on their next single. They might want a relative newcomer, but I want you to attend the festival end party at the Reian festival next month and make sure to talk to them. I expect you to do everything you can to encourage them to work with you if they want a star in his own right to work with them." Hojo wouldn't want to allow them to select Genesis-kun or Angeal-kun as that would reflect badly on his having sold their contracts to Rufus-dono, and Sephiroth only wished he knew what it was about Valentine-san that made Hojo-kyou hate him so.

"As you wish Hojo-kyou. Ah...does that mean I will be allowed to make arrangements to meet with members of The Storm after the party if they wish it?"

"I suppose it does. But tell them that you can't make any _firm_ arrangements until you've checked your schedule, and if one of them wants to bed you then you can stay with them until noon the next day."

"Yes Hojo-kyou." Sephiroth didn't like the sound of that idea. He had no training in bedplay or seduction, even if he suspected some of the other castratos whose contracts Hojo-kyou had sold when they proved to have poor voices had ended up in that role, and he wasn't sure he was even capable of feeling arousal, but if that was what Hojo-kyou commanded he would obey.

"Good. I will see you again tomorrow afternoon. Try to look through at least one of the new songs before then. Is there anything you'd like me to bring you, other than the first disc on The Storm?" Rare generosity if Hojo-kyou didn't feel the need to limit his options, and for a moment Sephiroth felt overwhelmed by the choices he was being offered, then he gathered himself together, to make his request before Hojo-kyou withdrew his question, or assumed there was nothing he wanted.

"Entertainment discs, if you would, ones that have nothing, or very little to do with music, please Hojo-kyou."

"Entertainment discs Sephiroth-kun? Did you have any other specifications?"

"Ah...some sort of fantasy perhaps?" Like the tales one of his nurses had told him when he was younger.

"I'll find something suitable then. Don't stand." Hojo-kyou kissed Sephiroth's forehead as he stood before walking out, and Sephiroth turned his attention to the new songs Hojo-kyou had brought.

MMM

"Cloud, Sephiroth looks sort of trapped, don't you think?"

"Yes, he does." They'd been at the party of half an hour, but until Zack pointed out Genesis harassing Sephiroth Cloud hadn't been able to think of a way to introduce himself to the castrato without being intrusive. Cloud wanted the group to meet Sephiroth in a social setting first, to see if there were any instant personality conflicts, before considering whether they could work with him, or finding out if he'd be willing. "Think you and Aeris can distract Genesis while I extract Sephiroth?" He'd take distraction duty himself, but if Reeve could come to terms with Sephiroth's manager he'd be the one working most closely with the castrato, since he'd be doing the three duets on their tentatively planned album with him, as well as working with Aeris and Sephiroth on the single song scored for three voices.

"Yeah, we can do that, can't we babe?"

"Yes, you just go and impress Sephiroth." Aeris made a shooing motion with her hand as they separated, so that Zack and Aeris could approach Genesis from a different angle to Cloud. He took a deep breath, gathering himself together for this, if they couldn't convince Sephiroth to look favourably on the idea they'd have to find a less well known castrato and adapt the songs for whatever range he could offer. Tifa had been adamant that Cloud wasn't going to have to put up with Genesis' harassment for the sake of the album (and he didn't quite have Sephiroth's range anyway - although they'd have adapted the songs to suit Angeal's deeper register if he'd shown an interest), and they _certainly_ weren't going to presume to approach Valentine for this. They'd let their plans out so that he'd know about it, and could have his manager approach them if he was interested, but he was way out of their league, even if they did want a more established name to help with the sales.

"Rather insistent isn't he?" Zack and Aeris had somehow managed to draw Genesis away without letting him catch sight of Cloud, giving him the freedom to address Sephiroth without pressuring him.

"Yes, he's always been like that Strife-san. But how did you know? And...did you ask your friends to rescue me from him?" Sephiroth lifted a hand to brush his hair back away from his face as he spoke to Cloud, his voice strong and melodic despite the confusion clearly expressed in his words.

"Yes, well, I asked Zack and Aeris to distract Genesis so I could have a chance to talk to you. Just before we released our first single we worked with Genesis, providing music for Fury of the Goddess." Reeve had negotiated one hell of a deal for them, ShinRa Music had committed to providing the facilities for them to produce their first single in addition to the slightly outrageous fee they'd offered at first. "And please, just call me Cloud."

"If that is what you want Cloud-san. Hojo-kyou told me that Genesis-kun almost never keeps a band for a full album?" Sephiroth tilted his head to one side in enquiry, and Cloud glanced around to check that his friends still had Genesis occupied before answering.

"I can see why, but Reeve told us that surviving doing an album with him would give us a reputation as consummate professionals." And the fee for doing fewer songs hadn't been anywhere near as good. "We should move somewhere else in case Zack and Aeris can't keep Genesis busy, so he doesn't know exactly where to look for you. Or me to be honest."

"I agree...how long has he been interested in you?" As he spoke Sephiroth was looking around, and he pointed towards what looked like an alcove with a statue standing in it. "Think we can hide there?"

"Yes, that should work." Cloud glanced at Sephiroth, oddly pleased to see that he had already set off moving, even before Cloud had agreed with his suggestion. "And Genesis started coming after me when we were working on that album for him. I'd heard you didn't attend parties that often?" He'd been really surprised to see him here for that reason, but Tifa'd crowed about it, asking him if he wasn't glad she'd insisted on coming to the party now.

"No, but then I don't think you've been invited to any of the same parties I have before." That startled Cloud so much that he stopped for a moment, and Sephiroth noticed his absence after a single step, turning to glance at him with a faint frown. "Cloud-san?"

"Ah, no, we haven't been invited to the same parties before." Zack thought being invited to perform here meant they'd made it, at least a bit, but Cloud would only believe that if they were asked to perform again next year. "So...does that mean you wanted to meet me?"

"Yes, and Hojo-kyou thought it was a good idea too. There aren't many performers who have their manager under contract to them." Sephiroth leaned back against the wall inside the alcove, tucking his hair back behind his ears again.

"We were lucky; Zack found out that Reeve was being contracted after his company went bust, Aeris confirmed that it wasn't his fault, and Tifa arranged the financing." She'd got her father to agree to let Reeve negotiate the exact repayment details after the sale went through at Cloud's suggestion, and it was only after Reeve had got more concessions than he'd planned to give that he'd admitted they might have a chance, even with 'that no-good Strife boy' as the singer and lead guitar. Was he implying that he'd been ordered to attend this party?

"So, what's your contract like, if you don't mind me asking?" That question could be seen as borderline rude and intrusive, or as a natural response to Sephiroth's own enquiry, and Cloud wondered how he'd choose to see it.

"I don't know. I never asked Hojo-kyou if I could see my breeding contract."

"Ah, I see." If Cloud could convince Sephiroth to speak in favour of working with them he'd have Reeve insist on a copy of Sephiroth's breeding contract, but even a breeding contract should include some reference to his rights, even if Sephiroth wasn't displaying the arrogance Cloud had half expected from such a famous performer. "I take it you had a much more focused education than most people do then?"

"Oh yes, I started learning to sing as soon as I could talk, and to dance and fight as soon as I could walk. What is a normal education like then?" There was a hint of longing in his voice, and wistfulness in his eyes, and Cloud could see from the way Sephiroth stood and looked at him that he had nothing less than the man's _full_ attention, something that had been vanishingly rare in his experience.

MMM

Sephiroth had looked for anything he could find attractive about any of the members of The Storm after Hojo-kyou had instructed him to seduce one of them if possible, and he'd decided that he did find Cloud-kun appealing. Partly that had been because he was sure that the blond would have the final say in which singers they worked with, and partly he'd liked the way he moved, as well as his almost feminine beauty. And now that he was talking to him he had even more reason to like Cloud-kun; he'd rescued Sephiroth from Genesis-kun and then he'd helped him hide away and talked to him, treated him like he mattered. He hadn't made Sephiroth feel stupid or like a freak when he'd admitted to being purpose bred, or laughed at any of his myriad areas of ignorance, instead Cloud-kun had kept the conversation on topics that Sephiroth was comfortable with. Maybe he should just be honest about what Hojo-kyou wanted?

"Ah...Cloud-kun? Hojo-kyou said you were interested in having a castrato feature on your next single?"

"That's the rumour we had Reeve put out. But Genesis is the only one who's expressed an interest so far, and Tifa says it's not worth me putting up with him for the project we had in mind. It's more than just a single, we've got a new one coming out next week," Sephiroth remembered that Cloud-kun had announced one of their songs as a new one, 'that you'll all get a chance to buy soon' and realised what he was referring to, but Sephiroth had meant the next single The Storm were going to record, not the next single they were putting out. "and we've got to put our next album together over the next month, for release in a couple of months time. Then we were planning on starting one of two projects in three months or so."

"Big projects then?" Sephiroth waited for Cloud-kun's sharp nod before continuing. "And if Hojo-kyou approached you about the possibility of my working with you on the rumoured single you were planning on doing the project that requires a castrato?" He was being presumptuous, he knew that, but he wanted to see how Cloud-kun reacted to his suggestion.

"Not exactly. We could have worked around Angeal's lesser range because we know he's a professional, in a way that Genesis isn't. Valentine could have set his own terms if he'd been interested. Your voice would be ideal, but we don't know if we could work with you." Implying that they knew Valentine-san well enough not to doubt their ability to work with him, that or that The Storm thought Valentine-san was famous enough that it would be worth putting up with whatever he wanted. And their refusal of Genesis-kun spoke against the second option. "That's one reason we saw that you were having problems, we were looking for you, hoping we'd have the chance to at least talk to you."

That was...flattering, in a way. Sephiroth bit his lower lip and looked down as he considered what to do. He _could_ tell Hojo-kyou that The Storm would expect _him_ to initiate contact, and not embarrass himself by trying to seduce Cloud-kun, but...he _wanted_ those little freedoms Hojo-kyou had offered him for while he was trying to convince them he'd be good to work with.

"Do you think we'll have the chance to meet with the rest of your group here?" His hair was in his face again, and he brushed it back behind his ears impatiently.

"Probably not. Tifa split off pretty early to network, she'd probably prefer to be making contacts with the managers, but this party's just for performers, and I like it that way. And Zack and Aeris are a lot more social than I am. They'd be surprised to realise I was still here instead of dragging you off to our rooms, or breaking off after the bare minimum of conversation."

"Do you want to drag me off you your rooms?" He didn't know how to make the offer subtly, or with more grace, but this seemed to be a good opening.

"Are you saying that you want me to?" Cloud-kun looked surprised and confused, although Sephiroth couldn't say why and he wondered how much he could safely explain. Cloud hadn't seemed to feel any of the contempt Sephiroth had heard was common among the freeborn for the purpose bred, and he probably understood that it meant Sephiroth had fewer rights than he did, so...

"Hojo-kyou doesn't allow me very many choices. He instructed me to try and become friends with your group and offered me a few more freedoms while I did. He said that if one of you wished to bed me I would not be expected to return until noon the next day." That sounded bad, although Sephiroth couldn't tell if the look on Cloud-kun's face was anger or shock. "I didn't really think about sex, but on some level I always knew if it ever happened it would be when and with someone that would be useful to Hojo-kyou, and I don't think you're stupid enough to _deliberately_ make it bad for me when you want us to work together. And...I think I like you." He couldn't say anything stronger, because that would be a lie, and it wouldn't be believed anyway, but Cloud had treated him well and impressed him with his intelligence and restraint. "I could meet the rest of your group in the morning that way as well."

"Yeah, I guess that could work, if you're sure you're willing?" That one question would have been enough to make Sephiroth feel safe with Cloud-kun.

"Yes, yes I am. Just show me what you want me to do, and I'll do my best to please you."

That had been the wrong thing to say somehow, but Cloud-kun just sighed and wrapped an arm around his waist leading him out through the party. "Come on then." Walking through the rest of the performers, it was almost like Cloud-kun was showing him off, like some sort of trophy, but Sephiroth didn't mind, especially not when he saw the look of sheer, thwarted _fury_ on Genesis-kun's face. Cloud-kun didn't say anything more until they'd walked far enough away that no one would be able to hear them, even though people had fallen silent as they left for some reason. "Did you even want to attend this party? Or do you normally want to attend the aftershow parties and just aren't allowed to?"

"I...I'm not really that social, and I don't like giving Genesis-kun chances to corner me the way he did back there. Hojo-kyou never suggested that I should attend any parties besides this one, and I never asked. Yes, he ordered me to attend this party, but...it was worth it." Hojo-kyou would be pleased with what he'd learned, and he'd met someone who didn't care that he was purpose bred and still under the original contract. Everybody else, all of the teachers Hojo-kyou had hired for him, had treated him differently, like he was an animal, or an object, not a person.

"I see." They walked in silence for a bit longer before Cloud let go of his waist to open a door. "We're here. Can you braid your hair?"

"Yes, but it would be easier and neater with a brush." The large central room was set up as a lounge, although Sephiroth was a bit surprised to note that there were only three doors leading out of it, but that wasn't something he needed to comment on.

"There's one in my room. I thought we'd start with a shower, and your hair's too long to dry before we go to sleep."

"Thank you." A scalp braid would be better then, and Sephiroth began running his fingers through his hair as Cloud-kun led him over to the central door of the three. "Do you need to do something with your hair then?"

"No, it's short enough that it won't drip on you if I towel it dry when we get out, and it'll be dry by the time we get to sleep. Here." A hair tie as well as a brush.

"Thank you Cloud-kun." Sephiroth hadn't expected Cloud-kun to just watch him as he brushed his hair out, and the frown on his face made him wonder what was wrong.

"You...do understand that not all castratos can climax, or even necessarily enjoy sexual intercourse?"

"Hojo-kyou never explained anything like that to me." And reading was hard enough for him that he hadn't even thought of trying to research it for himself, and he wouldn't have even if he had been given any access to medical information.

"I looked it up at one point, for personal reasons." That was more than enough explanation for Sephiroth, and he wasn't going to invade the man's privacy. "I think I can keep from hurting you, I'm pretty sure of that, but I can't be certain I'll make it _good_ for you. Do you still want to do this? If you don't, I'll be happy to just have you sleep in my bed, or if you want we can do something I know won't to hurt you, except it probably won't do anything for you either."

Sephiroth couldn't quite understand what Cloud-kun meant, but it didn't matter, what did matter was that he was concerned about him, about hurting him or doing something he didn't really want, and he was offering Sephiroth a chance to back out if he wanted, back out and still be able to meet with the rest of The Storm.

"Thank you Cloud-kun, but I'd rather take the risk. Just remember you'll have to teach me everything." He tied off his braid as he spoke, and waited to hear what Cloud-kun had to teach him.

"All right, but Sephiroth?" Cloud-kun stepped forward to rest one hand on Sephiroth's cheek, for a moment he wanted to back away, but he was going to do something much more intimate with Cloud-kun, it would be foolish to refuse this. "If I do anything that hurts you or scares you, or if you want to stop just tell me, and I will, I promise." Cloud stepped away then, pulling a small square thing and a tube from a drawer. "This is a condom, having sex without one is a very bad idea, unless your partner's been extensively tested. Well, I guess a virgin's not that likely to have anything he could pass on to you, but I'm not a virgin, and even though _I_ know I'm clean you don't have any evidence of that."

"So, I should always insist on using a condom if I'm ever with anyone else?" From the way Cloud-kun was talking it sounded as if he wouldn't make Sephiroth ask, which was just as well, since he hadn't known he should.

"Yes, you should. You should also bring your own lubricant, or make sure that your partner is using a fresh tube. Here, you can check this one out now." It looked unopened, and Sephiroth unscrewed the cap to confirm, noting that the nozzle was still sealed by a thin layer of foil. He nodded and handed it back to Cloud-kun, not quite sure what it was for, but accepting that he needed it. "At least...I sort of assumed you'd always be the one who was taken. Really I think it's better for the guy who's being taken to supply the lube, but making sure no one else has used the container the lube comes from is just as good a way to avoid infections."

"I understand Cloud-kun. And...I was assuming you'd want to be inside me. I...don't know if I could perform the other way." He wasn't entirely sure on what was going to happen, from Hojo-kyou's explanation he knew that Cloud-kun would be sticking his dick up his ass, but he didn't have a clue how it would fit.

"Maybe we could try that later, but for now I think it's safer this way." Cloud-kun stepped forward, kissing him deeply and undressing him slowly.

"Ah...should I return the favour?"

"Tempting, but no. You need to use the toilet first, and I think you'd rather do that alone." Why did he need to use the toilet first? Cloud-kun must have realised that he was puzzled, because he smiled up at him and explained a bit further. "You need to at least try to take a shit, unless you took one just before the party, and it's probably best if you empty your bladder before we do anything as well. I'll use the toilet in Tifa's rooms while you're doing that." Cloud-kun kissed Sephiroth again and left, clearly expecting him to obey - and he did see the sense in those instructions now.

MMM

Cloud brought an extra towel from Tifa's bathroom and laid it over the covers on his bed, scooping up the lube before he joined Sephiroth in his bathroom. Sephiroth was just turning the shower on as he walked in, and Cloud joined him, pulling the foil seal off so he'd be able to use the lube without any problems when the time came, before putting it to one side.

"Cloud-kun?"

"I want to start foreplay in here, unless you really don't want me to." He took hold of Sephiroth's hand and lifted it to kiss the inside of his wrist, looking at him all the time. "If I do _anything_ you don't want all you have to do is tell me, and I promise you I'll stop."

"Just tell me what to do. I want to learn from you." Sephiroth sounded oddly innocent, almost naive, and Cloud couldn't help being aroused by that, that and the deference he'd been showing subtly from the moment Cloud started talking to him, and more openly once they left the party.

"Why don't you start by washing me? Feel free to touch me wherever you like, I'll tell you if there's a problem."

Sephiroth didn't reply, but he picked up the shower gel and poured a good dollop of it into his hand. He seemed most interested in Cloud's arms, which puzzled him, but it didn't matter, and he was perfectly willing to let Sephiroth explore whatever he wanted, at least for a while.

"Your turn now?" Cloud blinked in surprise, he'd have been willing to let Sephiroth explore some more if he'd wanted, but if he was content...

"Yeah, if that's what you want." He kissed Sephiroth first, open mouthed, teasing at his lips with his tongue until Sephiroth opened to let him in, only pulling back when he heard the man moan into his mouth. Then he began working his way down Sephiroth's body, directing the shower to rinse the soap from his skin and kissing the just washed flesh until he reached the groin. He skipped over that, going to his knees to work his way down the right leg, massaging the big muscles in his thigh and working down to the calf and ankle, then he reversed the process to work up Sephiroth's left leg, enjoying the soft sounds of surprise and pleasure he made.

Finally he rinsed the soap from Sephiroth's groin and ass and set the shower up so that the water hit Sephiroth at chest level before swapping the shower gel for the lube.

"You still okay with this?" He wasn't going to go any farther until he got some confirmation that he wasn't pushing too fast, or too hard, even if he could see how much Sephiroth had relaxed under his attentions.

"Yes Cloud-kun."

"Good, this might hurt a bit, I'll back off if you want, remember that."

"I will Cloud-kun." Sephiroth nodded earnestly, and Cloud put a bit of the lube onto his fingers as he knelt again, nudging Sephiroth's legs a bit further apart. Sephiroth was still soft, making Cloud uncomfortably aware of the hardness between his own legs, and he leaned forward to lick the very head of the oddly proportioned dick as he ran his fingers up the cleft of Sephiroth's ass to his entrance. He was rewarded with a moan, and at least the beginnings of an erection, and encouraged by this he took the mushroom shaped head fully into his mouth as he circled Sephiroth's entrance, teasing the slit while he pressed one finger slowly inside, with as little pressure as he could muster. There wasn't anything blocking the way and he pressed deeper, searching out that small protrusion while he took more of Sephiroth's dick into his mouth, coaxing him to full arousal.

"Ah! What was that?" Sephiroth's hips bucked into Cloud's mouth, just a little as he spoke, and Cloud stroked his finger across the prostate again, pulling back from Sephiroth as he did.

"That was your prostate gland. It's what makes being fucked feel good for men." He pulled his finger out slowly, carefully, and washed his hand in the shower as he stood. "We should probably move to the bedroom now."

"If you think that would be better. Ah...did I hurt you before?" Sephiroth turned the shower off and stepped out as he spoke, wrapping himself in a towel.

"When you bucked into my mouth? No, that's the sort of reaction I wanted to get. It's a good sign." Cloud wished he could dry Sephiroth off himself, but he didn't think that would work now, so instead he wrapped one towel around his body and focused on drying his hair roughly with a second towel while they walked back through to his bedroom.

"Cloud-kun?" Sephiroth had noticed the towel he'd left on the bed.

"Good sex is messy." So was bad sex, but he was going to do everything he could make this good for Sephiroth as well as for him. "We can just toss the towel onto the floor afterwards and sleep under clean covers this way." He put the lube down beside the condom and began drying his body.

"Ah, I see. I hadn't thought about that. But...could we turn the heating up first Cloud-kun?"

"What? Oh, yes, of course." They'd turned it off for the whole suite before leaving for the party, setting it to come on just before the party was scheduled to end, and Cloud hadn't thought about turning it back on for his room earlier, and he should have, even if he hadn't noticed any chill himself. He moved to do that quickly, before pulling Sephiroth to sit beside him on the bed, sliding a hand under the towel to stroke the inside of his thigh and brush against his cock.

"There's two ways I think it's best to do this for a first time. We could do it face to face, with you on your back, for the intimacy of that position, or you could be on your hands and knees, while I take you from behind, which is probably the most comfortable and least likely to hurt. Which would you prefer?"

"I don't know. Are...you going to take me now?"

"No, not yet." Cloud rested his free hand against Sephiroth's cheek, turning him to look into his eyes. "I still need to prepare you some more, and there's other foreplay I'd like to try. We don't have to fuck if you'd rather not."

"Please Cloud-kun, stop asking that. I want you to take me, I want to know what it feels like, to have someone gentle be my first." Sephiroth bit his lower lip, glancing away from Cloud for a moment before he continued speaking. "And...could we do this foreplay with me on my back, then move to the other position when it's time for you to take me?"

Cloud kissed Sephiroth then, he couldn't resist it, but he kept it slow, gentle, enjoying the soft sounds of pleasure he wrung from the castrato.

"Yes, we can do that. Would you feel comfortable taking that towel off and lying down now, or would you prefer to spend some time kissing first?" And give the room time to warm up a bit more. If it meant losing the progress he'd made in arousing Sephiroth so far he could live with that; he'd enjoyed coaxing him into arousal, and certainly wouldn't mind doing it again - he hadn't expected the sense of power he got from taking care of the singer and teaching him, but it had been _very_ pleasant.

"I...I liked kissing you Cloud-kun, it feels really good, but...if you want me now..."

"Hush." He silenced Sephiroth with a kiss, pulling his hand from underneath the towel to begin unravelling his braid. "We can take it as slowly as you want to Sephiroth. I won't rush you. And besides, I thought perhaps it might still be a bit cold for you?"

Sephiroth shivered slightly at that, from cold or from pleasure at the feel of Cloud's hands in his hair, it didn't matter. "Then please, kiss me some more, I'll lie back when I'm ready to go further?"

"Yes." Cloud climbed into Sephiroth's lap before kissing him again, running his hands through that almost metallic silver hair and teasing the nape of Sephiroth's neck. It took him a few moments to realise that Sephiroth was just sitting there almost passive, kissing Cloud back, but not once raising his hands to hold Cloud, or to touch him. "Sephiroth, you're allowed to touch me back if you want to."

"I hadn't realised." But Sephiroth did wrap one arm around Cloud's waist, the other hand moving to rest on his calf, and eventually, with a lot of coaxing he began following Cloud's example, and participating more fully. Cloud ditched his own towel pretty quickly since he was already dry, but he didn't try to move Sephiroth's towel, preferring to slide his hands underneath it to make his lover feel good.

Cloud was nibbling on Sephiroth's ear when he lay back, pulling Cloud down with him, and letting his own towel fall loose about his body. Cloud chuckled at that, and at the almost possessive way Sephiroth was still holding him against his chest, and moved back to his lips to kiss him, wrapping one hand lightly around Sephiroth's cock and stroking it to confirm he was still hard.

"You'll have to let me go for a bit, so I can prepare you properly, and it would help if you moved to lie fully on the bed, with your legs open, so that I can kneel between them." For that matter he could probably use something to raise Sephiroth's hips a bit...but he didn't want to use one of his pillows...

"Yes Cloud-kun. Should I fold my towel up first?"

"No, just put it to one side. I'll use it to support your hips, it will make preparing you easier and more comfortable." He folded and rolled the towel into a fat sausage, and used it to prop up Sephiroth's hips before he collected the lube and knelt between his legs, pushing them a bit further apart to give himself room.

"Are you alright Sephiroth? This position isn't uncomfortable for you is it?" It shouldn't be, a similar position hadn't been uncomfortable for Cloud, but Sephiroth might be less flexible than he was.

"I'm fine Cloud-kun." Sephiroth lifted himself on an elbow to smile at him and Cloud began the slow process of preparing him, focusing as much on keeping him from climax, in case he could only do so once with any ease, as on maintaining his arousal. Eventually he'd done all he could to prepare Sephiroth and he sat back on his heels and stretched.

"Ah...do you want me to move now Cloud-kun?"

"Yes, that would be good." He just tossed the towel propping Sephiroth's hips up on the floor and kissed the small of the castrato's back before pushing into him, slowly, and then stopping, mustering all his self-control to just _stay_ there, waiting for some response from his lover.

"Cloud-kun?" The uncertainty in that voice _shouldn't_ have been so appealing, but it was, and he swept Sephiroth's hair aside to kiss the nape of his neck before whispering in his ear.

"Yes Sephiroth? Did you want me to move for you?" He pulled back and thrust forward just a little bit to illustrate his point as he spoke

"Oh! Please!" Almost a moan, and he reached around to stroke down Sephiroth's belly as he began fucking him in earnest, slowly at first, but picking up the pace as it became apparent that Sephiroth could handle it. It looked like Sephiroth was one of the castratos who could climax, and Cloud gave himself over to his own pleasure as his lover contracted around him, only pulling out once he'd softened. Afterwards he knotted the condom and threw it away before joining his lover underneath the covers, waiting for Sephiroth's consent before pulling him into his arms.

MMM

Sephiroth was confused for a few moments when he woke up...he'd had trouble getting to sleep to start with, and he'd never woken up in the same bed as someone else before. But he felt safe, good, despite the way his ass was aching and he was careful not to wake Cloud-kun when he pulled away from him to go to the toilet.

But Cloud-kun had woken up by the time he walked back into the bedroom, after taking a quick shower, and he smiled at the man apologetically.

"Did I wake you Cloud-kun?" He hadn't intended to, but the toilet had been loud, and so had the shower.

"Probably, but it doesn't matter. Did you sleep well?" Cloud-kun stretched and climbed out of bed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was naked and hard, while Sephiroth kept having to look away from his groin.

"Ah, yes, I did. Better than I'd expected actually." On the few occasions he'd had to attend parties in the past he'd been up half the night afterwards trying to calm down after dealing with so many people.

"Good. It's nearly ten, the others should be awake as well, and we ordered coffee and tea delivered at half past nine. You'll be able to order breakfast from the lounge."

"Thank you Cloud-kun." He recognised the implied orders and began picking up his clothes from last night to get dressed while Cloud-kun was in the bathroom, but he hesitated on walking into the lounge at the sight of Aeris-san sitting on top of Zack-san, kissing him and pressing him back into the sofa.

"Oh, hey Sephiroth! Don't worry, you're not interrupting anything, come on over and sit down." Aeris-san waved him over with a grin and Zack-san added his own invitation, despite his position and the way Aeris-san kept _touching_ him. So, against his own better judgement, Sephiroth moved forward, choosing to sit in one of the chairs, and do his best to ignore them the way Tifa-san seemed to be.

"Is this the coffee Tifa-san?" He didn't really need to ask, the scent was enough to answer his question, but he hoped the enquiry would work to open a conversation, so he wouldn't have to work out how to deal with Aeris-san and Zack-san yet.

"Yes, that's it. And this is cream, milk, honey, and sugar." She touched each jug of jar in turn and he smiled at her in gratitude. "Cloud told you that you can phone for breakfast, didn't he?"

"He said I could order breakfast, yes." Sephiroth busied his hands with adding honey and cream to his coffee as he spoke. "Only...I'm not entirely sure how to." He didn't like admitting that, how little he knew about ordinary things like this, but it was the truth, Hojo-kyou or one of his assistants had always made sure he was fed before this, a diet intended to keep him in optimum shape.

"I didn't realise you were _that_ sheltered. Here, I'll show you." She led him over to the side table where the phone was and handed him a menu card. "You just need to ring 5 to place your order, tell them it's the sky suite; they'll deliver in less than half an hour."

"Thank you Tifa-san." She'd just repeated the instructions on the top of the menu, but he appreciated the patience she was showing.

"You're welcome." With that she returned to her seat, and Sephiroth noted from the corner of his eyes how she tidied the dishes from the three meals that must have been delivered earlier as he studied the menu. The seven piece breakfast would do, he was sure Hojo-kyou wouldn't mind considering that he'd bedded Cloud-kun last night, and he made his order, agreeing that they could deliver it with Cloud-kun's.

"Morning Tifa, Aeris, Zack. Tifa, Sephiroth's manager didn't realise that it's usually the better known performer whose manager makes the first approach on a joint effort, but he's willing to get to know us, so can you get him our rough itinerary for the next three months, and our contact numbers please?"

"That's easy enough. I'll go set it up to print out now, so it'll be ready for when Sephiroth leaves." Tifa stood and began walking to one of the doors leading further into the suite as she spoke, presumably to her rooms.

"I should probably go by half past eleven, since Hojo-kyou expects me back by noon." Sephiroth hesitated before returning to his seat, wondering if perhaps he should sit on the second sofa, so he could be beside Cloud-kun instead, but decided not to make it so obvious that he was nervous around the other members of the group.

"I'll ring down to have an alarm call sent at quarter past then. Zack, Aeris, please stop giving Sephiroth the impression that you're sex obsessed maniacs."

"Why? It's the truth isn't it?" Zack-san's hands never stopped moving on Aeris-san's back, even as he glanced past her to grin at Sephiroth.

Aeris giggled, and hit Zack in the shoulder before sliding off his lap to sit almost primly beside him on the sofa. "I think Cloud was hoping he wouldn't realise that until he'd got to know us, so he wouldn't have to worry that we'd be trying to drag him into a threesome, or maybe a foursome."

"Ah...who were you planning to leave out of the orgy then?" He didn't like the idea, it scared him, and he knew that it showed, but he couldn't just let Aeris-san make fun of him like this without showing her that he could tease her as well. His response won him almost incredulous laughter from the two men, but Aeris-san's faint blush as she answered him made him feel more comfortable with her. In fact he regretted it when he had to leave, but he knew better then to keep Hojo-kyou waiting and returned to him slightly early.

"Sephiroth-kun, are those papers for me?" Hojo-kyou led him through to his bedroom as he spoke and Sephiroth followed, gladly sinking to his knees once they were alone together.

"I'm not sure, this is The Storm's rough itinerary for the next quarter, and this is a list of contact numbers for them, including cell phone numbers." He offered each item separately, and Hojo-kyou only took the itinerary.

"I see. Would you like a cell phone of your own then?"

"It might be useful, Cloud-kun made it clear that he would like a contact number for me. They wish to get to know me better before committing to working with me."

"You took it open yourself to open negotiations with them?" Hojo-kyou's voice was cold, almost angry, but at least Sephiroth knew what he'd said wrong, and he was being permitted to explain himself.

"No Hojo-kyou, I only let Cloud-kun know you had informed me of the rumour regarding their next single. He explained that the rumour was deliberate bait, to see if any established castrato would express an interest through his manager, as they had a larger project in mind. He then made sure I understood that they'd already refused to work with Genesis-kun because he was unprofessional, and that they would expect a chance to become acquainted with me before agreeing terms with you, if it pleased you to approach their manager about it." No point in adding that they'd have allowed Valentine-san to set his own terms, not when Hojo-kyou was smiling down at him approvingly.

"Good, you've done very well." He reached down to stroke Sephiroth's hair and Sephiroth shut his eyes to enjoy the sensation better. "Did Cloud treat you well in bed?"

"Yes, very well."

"Then you have no problem in continuing your involvement with him?"

"I..." Some of the things Aeris-san and Zack-san had said... "I want to learn what he has to teach me - although he told me I'd need to bring my own lubricant next time - but I find the idea of being shared with the rest of his group unnerving."

Hojo-kyou laughed at that, and Sephiroth did his best not let his hurt show. "If they make the suggestion seriously, refuse then. As long as you are polite they cannot take offence. I'll give you your new cell phone within a week. Rest for now, or run through your vocalises or kata, we'll leave early tomorrow." With that he left, locking the door behind him.


End file.
